reddwarffandomcom-20200217-history
Sleeping quarters
The Sleeping Quarters aboard Red Dwarf were where Rimmer and Lister lived on the mining vessel. They utilised several different rooms as their quarters over the years. Changing venues Series 1 & 2 The original quarters were painted a uniform dark grey, known as "Ocean grey", and were reminiscent of an old Earth submarine interior. The quarters were quite small, befitting Rimmer and Lister's lowly status aboard the ship. There were two bunks, one above the other, cut into the wall, and a simple metal table and chairs and a small sofa. There were lockers for the inhabitants to use next to the door, which slid into position on command. They often put pictures of Marilyn Monroe in their lockers. The only window was a small elongated hexagonal porthole. There was a video screen above the sink, which revolved to reveal a talking lavatory and a sign saying "Now Please Irradiate Your Hands". Holly was able to project himself on the screen, which doubled as a mirror when not in use. There was also a status readout above the bunks that explained what the occupants were doing. It read such things as "Asleep", "Drunk" and "It's too naughty". Both Lister and Rimmer decorated the quarters with personal items to give it colour and character. These included photographs, posters, certificates, an inflatable banana and Lister's guitar. Lister's robot goldfish, Lennon and McCartney, were kept in a small tank next to the sink. Wherever Lister's bunk can be seen in the sleeping quarters (Series I-V, BTE and Series X) various posters can be seen. These include posters for Rastabilly Skank, the Zero Gravity Football team the London Jets and their star player Jim Bexley Speed, and also a poster of a woman in a white dress riding a horse on a beach in Fiji (much like in Lister's plan). Rimmer's included his Hammond Organ sheet music, intricate revision timetables, his swimming certificates, and sometimes a pair of muskets. At one point, Rimmer moved in with his holographic duplicate in the neighbouring quarters. They had separate bunks, but otherwise the room was very similar to Lister's bunkroom. (RD: Me2) Kryten once redecorated the sleeping quarters in chintzy drapes and flowery wallpaper on Rimmer's instructions. This did not last very long. (RD: Kryten) There was a Dream Recorder present in the sleeping quarters. (RD: Parallel Universe) These quarters were recreated when the nanobots rebuilt Red Dwarf. Lister found himself confined there when he was arrested for stealing and crashing Starbug. (RD: Back in the Red I) Series 3, 4 & 5 Rimmer and Lister later moved to the much more upmarket officer's quarters. The only thing that these had in common with their original room was that there was still a bunkbed arrangement. The new bunkroom was a much brighter affair, decorated in white and cream shades. There was a larger screen for Holly to use, a shower next to the bunks, a kitchen area and much more space. There was no obvious window, but much of the room was not seen. Lister tried to upgrade his culinary arrangements by employing equipment from the medical unit. This included an embryo storage unit that he used as a fridge. (RD: Polymorph) Kryten kept these quarters much more tidy than Lister ever could alone. He frequently vacuumed and dusted the room. (RD: Polymorph) Back To Earth By the time they encountered the second despair squid, Rimmer and Lister had moved to a new bunkroom. It was a bright and technologically advanced room, possibly one of the officer's quarters. The table in the room doubled as a computer console. There was more than one door into the room and a large window that covered one entire wall of the quarters. These quarters were still in a state of disarray, scattered with personal belongings and rubbish. One major feature was a large motorcycle, presumably being restored by Lister. Since Rimmer was still in the process of putting up his certificates, it is possible that they had only just moved in. (Back To Earth) Series X After many years, Lister and Rimmer had moved again. These quarters seemed somewhat less sophisticated, with exposed wiring and less advanced technology. The decor was primarily in shades of red, as was much of this version of Red Dwarf. There were still two doors and a large window, with the central table surrounded by chairs. Lister had somewhere acquired a sofa shaped like the rear end of a 1950's car, with the same theme running into the kitchen area. There were many retro appliances including a small fridge filled with Leopard Lager. He had also got himself a games console which he played regularly. Lennon and McCartney were once more in place. For a brief time, Lister installed Sim Crawford in the kitchenette as a stiring machine for his coffee. However, she did not remain for very long. (RD: Trojan) Behind the scenes The bunkrooms were places where much of the dialogue took place, particularly between Rimmer and Lister. The writers admitted being inspired by the prison cell scenes from the classic British sitcom Porridge, where limited space required the actors to engage in long discussions. The first quarters were designed by Paul Montague to mimic a submarine's cramped and uninspiring living conditions. The writers were always looking for ways to include more colour in the grey set, hence the colourful props like the inflatable banana and Rimmer's revision timetable. The second quarters were part of Mel Bibby's redesign, and were able to be left as a standing set at Shepperton Studios, rather than being dismantled after shooting had finished. The quarters in "Back to Earth" were the work of Mark Harris, who had worked as Art Director on several James Bond films. The red sleeping quarters for Series X were designed by Michael Ralph, who decided to move away from the more futuristic designs towards the original, darker tones. In a deleted scene from "Me²", Lister invites The Cat to move in since Rimmer had vacated the quarters. The Cat declines to stay in one place, preferring to sleep anywhere he wants. Category:Places Category:Red Dwarf Locations